


Get out to her do I dare

by ChainKinnix



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben puts himself out there, Conversations, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Rey (Star Wars) is Nobody, Rey is a sweetheart, Short & Sweet, Soft Ben Solo, Travel, just a little so don't get mad, lil bit of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24722755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChainKinnix/pseuds/ChainKinnix
Summary: Rey is taking a train. Ben Solo puts himself out there and introduces himself. A night of conversations and companionship commences.---He began to move towards her. The sun had already set, but the moon was shining into the train, softly illuminating his face. He looked unsure, his bravery having faded away somewhere between the walk over and his first words to her. When his eyes flitted up to hers, mostly she saw a recognizable loneliness. A soft expression of, “perhaps I could have this moment with you?”
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 42





	Get out to her do I dare

**Author's Note:**

> Title from “Faintheart in a Railway Train” by Thomas Hardy

* * *

Rey’s loneliness didn’t bother her often. It lived in her bones and settled throughout her skin, warm and familiar in her veins. She never sought out companionship, never really saw the use in relying on it. It wasn’t that she was bitter, she just didn’t see the point.

She was better off relying on herself; she trusted herself, knew her capabilities. She enjoyed taking odd jobs to support herself wherever she ended up. She only spent her money on basic necessities, always saving up for when she was preparing to leave for somewhere new.

Finn had told her that she could come and live with him whenever she wanted. He had just started renting an apartment in Seattle, a gorgeous two bedroom with floor to ceiling windows. He flooded her phone with pictures of it the second he was approved, trying to entice her to make the journey. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she was in the Everglades and if she ever did decide to go to Seattle, it would be quite some time.

In fact, she had saved up enough money that she felt like taking a fairly comfortable trip across the country. She needed to give herself plenty of opportunities to see the various landscapes, the different towns.

That’s how she found herself on a bus to Sanford where the auto-train awaited her. She didn’t have a car, but it was the most convenient way to get to DC. From there, she could travel anywhere.

* * *

She boarded the train at 3:45 in the afternoon, it was scheduled to depart at 4 and arrive the next morning at 9am. She didn’t bother with a roomette; she could sleep anywhere.

As she made her way to her seat, she looked at the others on the train. All various ages, both families and single travellers alike. She enjoyed that about travel, the sense of camaraderie in the lethargic routine of it all.

She settled in, stuffing her bag into the corner against the wall of the train so she could lean securely against it. There was no one sitting next to her so she sat sideways and stretched her legs out the best she could, relaxing before she got up to investigate the train further.

At 6:30, they called her car for dinner. She rose to her feet and began the trek to the dining car, slowly passing everyone who had later food service. As she walked through the train, Rey noticed a man in a red hoodie sitting by himself. He looked a bit older than her, his looks intriguing. She found herself staring at his profile for a moment.

He sensed her eyes on him and looked towards her, his eyes meeting hers. She didn’t look away quite as quickly as intended as she moved through the car door.

* * *

After dinner, she was lounging in her seat with her kindle in her hands. It was one of the few items she allowed herself to splurge on. She was in the middle of re-reading _We Have Always Lived in the Castle_ for the 50th time. Caught up in the story, she tuned out the world around her. The sounds of the train only helped to lull her into a peaceful trance full of angst and revenge.

At around 8:30, she saw a figure appear at the edge of her seat in her peripheral vision. She tilted her head up to investigate, a look of surprise and curiosity crossing her face.

The man in the red hoodie stood there staring at her, looking entirely unsure of how his feet brought him to her. An awkward beat passed.

“Uh, hi,” she offered, tilting her head at him in an attempt to activate his voice.

“Ben.”

“Excuse me?”

“Shit, sorry. Um, I’m Ben. This is probably going to sound really weird, and please feel free to tell me to fuck off, but I noticed you weren’t with anyone and neither am I. And basically, I was wondering if you wanted to talk?” The words seemed to fall out his mouth faster than he could stop them. A second passed and then, “ _Fuck_ that was weird, ignore me,” he muttered, mostly to himself as he turned to leave.

“Wait!” she raised her voice at him, turning so her feet were on the floor instead of on the seat next to her. He turned to her and she waved her hand at him to beckon him to sit down.

He began to move towards her. The sun had already set, but the moon was shining into the train, softly illuminating his face. He looked unsure, his bravery having faded away somewhere between the walk over and his first words to her. When his eyes flitted up to hers, mostly she saw a recognizable loneliness. A soft expression of, “ _perhaps I could have this moment with you?”_

As he took his seat next to her, she twisted towards him and held out her hand.

“I’m Rey,” she smiled at him.

He took her hand and gave it one small shake, “I’m Ben, but you know that already,” he chuckled at her and placed both of his hands in his lap.

When it became clear he didn’t have a plan past approaching her, she decided to speak first.

“So Ben,” she raised her eyebrows up at him, “what would you like to talk about?” He opened his mouth to speak and then clamped it shut again, as if unsure of where to begin. Eventually, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, shaking his head and shrugging lightly in a gesture she read as, “ _fuck it.”_

“Okay. So I worked for this asshole Snoke for about 10 years, right? Did everything for the guy. I worked late, weekends, flew wherever he needed me, climbed the hierarchy in the company until I was a senior partner, you get it.” He waved his hand at her, rolling his eyes, “Then one day he walks into my office and tells me I need to fire a client. Sure, no problem,” he shrugged. “Until he tells me the client he wants me to fire is my _mother’s company_. Something about how they weren’t producing enough billing hours anymore. I knew she couldn’t afford anyone else. So, long story short, I refused and he blew up at me and I finally quit and took all my clients,” he seemed out of breath as soon as he finished talking. As if he’d been needing to vent for ages.

She blinked slowly at him, taking in the information and unsure of what to say. He looked at her expectantly, as if she should immediately know how to respond. She cleared her throat.

“Wow, okay. So now what? It kind of sounds like you’re better off.”

He nodded and shrugged, taking her comment as if it came from an old friend. “I suppose so, maybe, at some point. I’m just at a loss. This is the first time I’ve properly had any time for myself in over a decade,” he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. A long, black, wavy piece stubbornly fell back in his face as he looked down at his hands in his lap.

His posture made him look smaller, more youthful. As if he was finally allowing himself to relax and drop the façade she’s sure he’d upheld for years.

“Well, what now then? What are you going to do with all this free time?” She questioned gently, attempting to introduce a bit of a lighter tone into the conversation as she nudged his shoulder with hers.

He took inhaled deeply then let out a breathy laugh. “I have no idea. Thank you, by the way, for letting me get that out,” he turned to look back at her, genuine gratitude was apparent in his expression. She got the sense that he didn’t have many people to talk to. “What about you? What brings you to the auto train?”

She shrugged and allowed herself to look over his face. The moonlight was casting shadows across his features, his nose appearing strong, more defined. She felt like she could see every feeling he’d ever had scattered across his expression.

“There’s not much to say about me. I’m just traveling, sorry I don’t have a more exciting story for you,” she gave him a shy grin.

“Bullshit, everyone has a story,” he declared, turning in his seat to offer her his full attention. Their closeness felt oddly intimate in the darkness and seclusion of their seats. She was surprised to find she didn’t mind it, in fact she appreciated his comforting presence near her. It occurred to her that she didn’t really have anything to hide from this stranger.

“I’m from a small town in the middle of nowhere, no family. I have a few friends from college that are scattered around the country. Mostly I just enjoy travel,” she began. She went on to tell him about some of the various jobs she’d had, memories of people she’d met in random cities across the country.

She found the words easy to say and Ben appeared to hang on to every single one. He focused on her with a level attentiveness that was usually reserved for interrogations. She discovered it only encouraged her to speak her mind more freely, safe in the knowledge that she wasn’t being judged.

* * *

Before either of them knew it, it was 11pm and they were encouraged to move to the lounge car as to not disturb any sleeping passengers.

They walked through together, Rey taking a seat in a small booth while Ben went to the bar to get them each a drink. She relaxed into her seat, content with his company and oddly comforted by the knowledge that he would be seated across from her at any moment.

There was an ease in existing near him. A soft, lazy appeasement that smoothed itself over her bones, softening the feeling of loneliness she felt all too deeply. A thought began to trickle into her mind. The idea that she might not be as content with being alone if this was what content companionship felt like.

She smiled at him as he sat down across from her, sliding her drink over the table towards her. He gave her a toothy grin in return, his dimples clear in the brighter light of the lounge.

“What’s your plan then when we get to DC? Do you have any family there?” She continued from their previous conversation.

He let out humourless chuckle and ran his hand through his hair. She noticed he did that when he was feeling uncomfortable for whatever reason. “I guess you could say that. My dad’s in prison there, but I don’t know if that counts. Don’t get freaked out, though, it’s minimum security. Dumbass got busted stealing cars,” he rolled his eyes, taking a long sip from his screwdriver.

At that, two more men walked into the lounge, both of which had clearly been drinking throughout the night. They sat down in the booth across the aisle next to Rey and Ben, their conversation carrying loudly through the car.

Suddenly, one of the men turned and let out a dramatic, “Helllloooo. How you guys doing?” She noticed Ben stiffen marginally, his foot moving to touch the side of hers under the table.

“We’re doing alright, enjoying a drink,” he explained politely.

“How long you two been married?” The other man asked, his eyes hooded with obvious intoxication.

“We’re newlyweds,” Rey exclaimed, winking at Ben across the table, whose head had snapped to hers with near whiplash-inducing speed. A small mischievous smile spread across his face and he reached over the table to take her hand in his. His hand was warm; soft callouses dancing over his skin. She found herself turning her palm over to lace her fingers with his.

“Congratulations! How did you meet?” The first man asked, twisting so that his feet were in the aisle between them, clearly happy with the exchange.

Ben didn’t wait for her to answer. “We met at a bar two years ago. She was sitting with her friends and I thought, ‘If I don’t go over there and meet that woman I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,’ so I downed my drink and introduced myself.” Rey let him speak, it was clear that he was enjoying the game and the creative freedom she had allowed him. That didn’t stop a small blush from working its way onto her face as she thought about his words.

They continued to make small conversation with the other men until they were left alone in the lounge at around 3am. Rey didn’t fail to notice that Ben didn’t let go of her hand the entire time they were sat there. She didn’t mind.

* * *

They walked back to Rey’s seat around 5am, deciding to get a few hours of sleep before breakfast and arriving in DC. Ben had gathered his belongings and stuffed them under the seat that he deemed was his next to her.

Rey leaned herself against the wall of the train, her bag and travel pillow propping her up to alleviate as much neck pain as possible.

Ben sat down next to her and before she knew what she was doing, she was lifting her arm in a silent invitation to him. He leaned himself over towards her, his head landing somewhat awkwardly against her side as she placed her arm around his shoulders. She felt him shift lightly against her rib cage before he settled and they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Rey’s bladder woke her up at around 7:45, not long before breakfast was due to be served in the dining car. She felt pressure around her waist and looked down to see Ben’s arm firmly seat belted around her. Unable to wait any longer, she carefully removed his arm from her lap and slid out, slowly moving his upper body towards her side to allow him to lay down.

When she returned, she saw that Ben had shifted so that his head was placed on her bag, his hair littered across his face. It was clear that he tried to curl himself up as much as possible, a feat which was impossible for a man his size.

Without a second thought, she took her phone out of her pocket and took a quick photo of him. She knew it was probably creepy, but she couldn’t find herself able to risk forgetting his face when they went their separate ways. A reality she knew she would need to face soon.

Unwilling to disturb him, she went into the dining car to get them each coffee to pass the time before the wake up call came over the sound system. He was sitting up by the time she got back, blearily rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and pushing his hair back away from his face. He gave her a lazy smile when he saw her.

“Breakfast?” He offered, rising to his feet. He reached his hand up and pushed a bit of hair out of her face, a movement that felt as natural as breathing – to both of them, it seemed. She gave him a sleepy smile and nod in return.

* * *

Breakfast was bittersweet. The inevitability of their disembarkment hung in the air around them. She knew he felt it, too. He met her eyes often, letting brief moments of understanding pass between them.

At 9, they left the train together, hand in hand. When they reached the platform, they wordlessly sat down on a bench together to wait for his car to be pulled off the train.

When he spotted the black sedan, he stood and she rose with him. A moment passed and then Rey was being pulled into his chest, one of his hands firmly around her waist while the other rested at the back of her head, holding her to him.

She let herself be held, wrapping her own arms around his waist and breathing him in. When he pulled away, a feeling of loneliness felt as though it had been injected into her bloodstream. She realized it wasn’t a feeling she was as comfortable with anymore – not after discovering the alternative.

She met Ben’s eyes - his deep, whiskey, expressive eyes - and before she could get a word out, he was closing the distance between them and placing a small kiss on her lips. She smiled into it and took a step closer to him, barely suppressing a whine when he pulled away from her.

Instead of saying goodbye, he raised his eyebrows and nodded his head in the direction of his car, a silent question. Before she could stop it, a delighted laugh escaped from her lips as she nodded and walked away from the train station with him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a true story.  
> Thank you so much for reading <3
> 
> Come find me on [tumblr](https://chainkinnix.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/ChainKinnix).


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